smart; clever; intelligent
HSK level
聪明 is written with 23 strokes (聪: 15, 明: 8). The animation replays automatically.
聪明 (cōngming) is the most common Chinese adjective for 'smart,' 'clever,' or 'intelligent.'
It describes someone with quick wits and good understanding — a child who learns fast, an adult who picks things up quickly, even a dog that can do tricks. Literally, 聪 means 'sharp of hearing' and 明 means 'bright / clear of sight,' so 聪明 originally pictured someone with sharp ears and clear eyes — alert and perceptive. Two notes for English speakers: first, 聪明 is mostly used for nimbleness of mind and street smarts, not deep wisdom. For wise/profound, Chinese uses 智慧 (zhìhuì) as a noun.
Second, 聪明 can carry a slightly mixed tone in some contexts: calling someone 太聪明了 ('too clever') can imply they are sly or sharp-tongued. For pure praise, 很聪明 is safe and very positive. The second syllable 明 is usually pronounced in the neutral tone (ming) in this word.
Character by character
Memory hook: 聪 (sharp ears) + 明 (bright eyes) = the original picture of intelligence: someone who hears and sees clearly.
聪明 appears in 4 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
这个孩子真聪明。
Zhège háizi zhēn cōngming.
This child is really smart.
spoken
他是一个又聪明又努力的学生。
Tā shì yí gè yòu cōngming yòu nǔlì de xuésheng.
He's a smart and hardworking student.
neutral
我的狗很聪明，能听懂我的话。
Wǒ de gǒu hěn cōngming, néng tīngdǒng wǒ de huà.
My dog is very smart; it can understand what I say.
spoken
聪明的人不一定快乐。
Cōngming de rén bù yídìng kuàilè.
Smart people aren't necessarily happy.
written
机灵 means 'quick-witted / nimble,' emphasizing fast reaction in specific situations — often praises kids or pets. 聪明 is broader: it describes overall intelligence, not just quick reactions.
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